14. What? The Underground Temple Has Twelve Levels?

Putting the group chat aside, Jiang Heyi began gathering information.

The game’s first breakout popular streamer, Watermelon Shaomai, had become despised by everyone after Jiang Heyi gifted him a scandal survival package. Now, all his videos were locked down, as he tried to lie low and avoid the current wave of backlash.

The game had been live for four days, and eight days had passed in-game. Many players had accumulated enough material, so numerous well-edited “Proof of the Stars” videos appeared online, some featuring big-name streamers.

After searching for guilds, Jiang Heyi’s lips curved into a smile—sure enough, someone had accelerated the construction process by dumping materials.

Guild halls, like personal homes, existed in a separate space known as a “world bubble” in game terms.

Though he kept details vague, it was clear that puppets also provided services within guilds.

Glancing back at the chat group, Jiang Heyi saw that the group owner role had been handed over to him.

Original Fries was brief and rarely able to sustain a conversation.

So whenever Jiang Heyi was offline, the small group was mostly dominated by Jailor and Orange Tea.

Jailor’s strong social skills always brought fresh topics, and Orange Tea was an enthusiastic audience.

Sigh, let’s just hope Orange Tea doesn’t get led astray.

Jailor @everyone: “Rumor has it, you need at least seven people in a guild to participate in guild wars.”

“Where’d you hear that? Is it reliable this time?” Jiang Heyi asked with some confusion.

“So far, every rumor in this game has turned out true,” Original Fries reminded him.

“Seven people… is that a rule for the tournament?”

Jiang Heyi opened the official site but found no updates on the tournament rules.

Jailor sent an emoji of a rolling seal: “Looks like five people won’t cut it.”

“Where can we find two more players?” Jiang Heyi pondered.

“Everyone has their dreams, each shines in their own way. Disband!” Jailor’s words left Orange Tea sending two question marks.

Accustomed to Jailor’s jokester nature, the others naturally ignored his comment.

Original Fries said, “There’s still a month; no rush for now.”

Amid intermittent small talk, time passed slowly. Having completed his daily exercise goal, Jiang Heyi easily drifted into sleep. When he logged back in, he appeared at the same spot as before logging off—the entrance to the Clear-Seers’ Sanctuary.

“World bubble information read.”

“Constructing…”

The buried sanctuary entrance, with no signs of excavation, gradually revealed itself as an invisible hand brushed over the earth, exposing a deep pit where the nun was buried and a passage leading into the temple’s depths.

“Another group of four and one, Squid really was the last one,” Jailor grumbled.

Orange Tea tilted her head in confusion: “Is Squid’s sleep quality not good?”

“It’s not about sleep quality... most likely because of his wife,” Jiang Heyi explained.

Since Zhong Ze Mo had self-deprecatingly joked about this in the chat earlier, Jiang Heyi didn’t bother with riddles.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Jailor wagged a finger. “We don’t mean it like that.”

“You’re the only one thinking that way,” Jiang Heyi shot him a sidelong glance. Luckily, Orange Tea couldn’t grasp Jailor’s innuendo. He continued, “Squid’s wife doesn’t like him playing games.”

“Ah… but… he’s just sleeping, it doesn’t take up his waking time,” Orange Tea protested.

“Who knows?” Jiang Heyi shrugged.

For someone who couldn’t even manage two hundred bucks, anything was possible.

In the midst of the chat, Zhong Ze Mo finally logged in.

“Sorry, sorry… had a little unexpected thing come up.”

The frustration on his face vanished the moment he saw everyone. Hearing they were waiting for him to start, he cheerfully pulled out items and ingredients and began cooking honey-roasted rabbit.

---

“Why are you all back here again?”

Seeing Jiang Heyi’s group camping by the sanctuary entrance roasting rabbit past midnight, the nun’s ghostly voice sounded urgent. “The Clear-Seer’s blood is about to run dry! Will you let countless devoted souls rest in eternal unrest?”

After hurriedly biting a few pieces and gaining the buff, Jiang Heyi explained immediately: “We want to see the Eternal Night Church for ourselves.”

“See…”

“Yes, see with our own eyes.”

The nun’s ghost hesitated, then sighed deeply: “It seems I cannot persuade you.”

A black obsidian lantern rose from the soil beneath the corpse. As the nun softly chanted, a pure white light flickered faintly within the sealed lantern.

“Take this. It can open the magical path the Clear-Seers used to hide.”

This was indeed the “lantern” mentioned in Unknown Revelation.

Orange Tea’s value was steadily increasing!

Jiang Heyi reached out and took the lantern; it remained perfectly still.

“Maybe we really can do something?”

At his words, the magic coating the lantern dissipated.

Zhong Ze Mo asked curiously, “Can’t you come with us?”

“If you want to escape, I can at least ensure this passage remains open,” the nun said. “This is the last thing I can do for you.”

“What else can you tell us about the Eternal Night Church?”

“Whether it’s the Eternal Night followers, their creations, or their contracted lives, they all fear light, fire, and thunder—these are the only elements that can tear through their magic in the eternal darkness.”

“Are there any surviving Clear-Seers inside the sanctuary?”

“Perhaps, but I can’t guarantee they remain conscious.” The nun warned, “Beware the Whisperers—they are sorcerers skilled in mental magic within the Eternal Night Church. When you hear strange echoes by your ear, they are near. Don’t be seduced by them.”

Original Fries bowed respectfully to the nun. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Live. Carry the truth of all you witness. Tell the kingdoms, the continents—Eternal Night will become a plague, calamity is coming.”

“Also…”

The nun’s spirit cupped her hands, and an ethereal bubble appeared in her palms, slowly drifting toward the group.

“My consciousness is breaking apart. This is what I still remember—the place where tomes and relics are stored inside the sanctuary…”

The map of the Clear-Seers’ underground sanctuary rapidly expanded as the bubble reached their hands.

“Memory fragments of Clear-Seer [Stormcaller Alna] are merging.”

“Wow…” Jailor couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “Damn…”

“This… is so huge.” Original Fries lost his usual calm.

Zhong Ze Mo stared at Jiang Heyi in amazement: “Though falsely accused, being accidentally brought near here… maybe a blessing in disguise?”

Jiang Heyi was also stunned.

The Clear-Seers’ underground sanctuary had twelve floors—not a cramped basement, but a hidden complex of underground temples.

This was the Clear-Seers’ headquarters!

Now it was clear why Nun Alna was so sorrowful and despairing.

They had thought it was just one temple destroyed; as long as the church’s main forces survived, they could regroup, so no need for such pessimism.

But the Clear-Seers had been chased home by the Eternal Night Church, and judging by Alna’s pitiful state, they were utterly unprepared for the invasion.

“This is their headquarters, right? Where are your defenses?” Zhong Ze Mo was dumbfounded. “Magic arrays? Traps? None of that?”

Alna shook her head. “I don’t know. Before that, I was already…”

Jiang Heyi sniffed the scent of a high-difficulty dungeon.

---

The two shadow wolves were nothing—they were just pawns left by the Eternal Night Church at the entrance.

Twelve floors—this was just too…

Too amazing!

Original Fries’ eyes sparkled, fingers rubbing together with an obvious urge to start slaying monsters.

On day five after launch, most players were still figuring out the gameplay. Near the starting main city, the “Virtual-Real Boundary” challenge had already opened—a true test for real men to descend all twelve floors.

Distributing equipment, the group returned to the sanctuary’s interior.

Because they had heard footsteps echoing before, everyone proceeded cautiously.

But whether due to logging off and refreshing or not noticing anything abnormal while returning deeper inside, they encountered no living creatures along the way.

They reached the end of the passage in the central plaza again. Jiang Heyi lifted the lantern, shining it on the solid wall.

The wall rotated with a clatter like a Rubik’s Cube, merging into the surrounding rock layers, and a path extended deeper inside.

Beyond the hidden wall lay a larger open plaza, towering statues five or six meters tall stood there, all destroyed by the Eternal Night Church without exception.

At the plaza’s end was a scarred and battered temple.

“This architectural style looks kind of familiar…” Jailor scratched his head, struggling to recall.

Zhong Ze Mo prompted, “I guess you want to say the Parthenon.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Original Fries twirled his long blade with ease. “Looks like you’re a bit culturally barren.”

“I just couldn’t remember the name for a moment.”

“Well, then what architectural style would you say this is?”

“…” Jailor hesitated. “Go… Gothic?”

“Maybe report to the neighboring Hero Brawl set. Over there, that answer might be right,” Original Fries teased sharply. “It must have been the Gauls who traveled through time to help build the Gothic Parthenon.”

Back when she first joined, Orange Tea might have worried they were about to argue.

But now, she could enjoy the little theatrical scene with a smile.

No malice in the teasing, and those teased could handle it well, all laughing as if nothing was wrong.

She was starting to understand what Zhong Ze Mo meant by “Jailor is indispensable.”

Next came…

“Time to get serious. The map shows that shining the lantern on the floor tile directly in front of the statue after entering the temple will trigger a magic array, teleporting us to the sanctuary’s B1 level.”

At Jiang Heyi’s words, the usually joking Jailor immediately straightened up. Original Fries, seemingly preparing something, took a deep breath and got into focus.

Sure enough, once the guild leader spoke, everything fell into place.

“Orange Tea.”

“Yes.” Startled, Orange Tea responded quickly.

“Unknown Revelation, ask if the teleport destination is safe.”

Standing beside the half-collapsed statue, Orange Tea began to pray.

“No danger.”

“Then let’s start the teleport.” Jiang Heyi’s lips curled into a smile. “Virtual-Real Boundary, move out.”